Prince Zhuang's Epitaph

Prince Zhuang's epitaph is inscribed on the top and bottom of this tablet. The top is inscribed with four characters “梁庄王墓”, which read "Tomb of Prince Zhuang of Liang". The bottom of the tablet is inscribed with a record of the prince's life in 190 characters. Prince Zhuang's birthname was Zhu Zhanji. He was the 9th son of the Hongxi Emperor and his mother was the Lady Guo. Prince Zhuang was born on the 17th day of the 6th month, in the 9th year of the Yongle Emperor (1411) and took two wives, marrying the Lady Wei after fist first wife, Lady Ji, died. In the 22nd year of the Yongle Emperor (1424), he was appointed prince of Liang, with a fiefdom in Anlu in Huguang (present day Zhongxiang City, Hubei Province). In the fourth year of the Xuande Emperor (1429), he officially took up his fief. The prince died of an illness on the 12th day of the 1st month in the 6th year of the reign of the Zhengtong Emperor (1441) and was buried in Yuling Mountain within his fief.

The inscription records that the prince was not only heroic and handsome, but also a diligent, courteous, kind, and helpful person. His early passing greatly saddened the Zhengtong Emperor, who declared three days of mourning at the court and granted the prince the posthumous title of Zhuang.